Lower School | Friends Select School | Philadelphia
Source: https://www.friends-select.org/lower-school
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:14
Lower School | Friends Select School | Philadelphia
Lower School | Friends Select School | Philadelphia
Alert
Info
Lower School
A transformative expedition through the foundational years of pre-kindergarten through fourth grade.
Each morning, young artists and musicians, mathematicians and scientists, readers and writers, social scientists and historians bound through the doors of Friends Select’s lower school, eager to greet their teachers and friends. Once inside, they engage with teachers who take great care to talk with them, observe them, listen to them, and understand who they are. From that place of feeling truly known, our students are able to engage with challenging ideas and content, stretching themselves in ways important to them while also contributing to the learning of their classmates. Our program draws upon the strengths and passions of children while developing the skills, conceptual understandings, and sensibilities they will need to thrive in today’s world.
Read more
THE LOWER SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
Watch this video for a better sense of the Friends Select community and lower school life.
Lower School Life
Watch Our Video
THE EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY
Friends Select’s lower school is a transformative expedition through the foundational years of pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. At Friends Select, we believe that education is a dynamic process, a series of interconnected steps that foster curiosity, creativity, and compassion. We empower students as agents in their own learning and embrace the guiding values of Quakerism while developing strong skills in our young learners, both academically and social-emotionally.
Learn more about the Lower School Educational Journey
A HOLISTIC APPROACH
The lower school student support team at Friends Select works collaboratively to support the emotional, social, and academic development of the whole child. We believe that social-emotional learning, fostering academic growth and confidence, and building toward developmentally appropriate levels of independence and agency provide a foundation for a child’s success in school and life.
Learn more about our Holistic Approach in Lower School
“We believe that the children we teach should feel that school is not something done to the child but something done by the child. We also work to wrap ourselves around each student, getting to know them and their strengths and then partnering with parents and guardians to help them succeed.”
Dave Younkin
Lower School Director
Our Voices
“I was able to bring all that I have learned about teaching visual art to young children over 20-plus years...”
Teacher Dan Deslaurier
Lower School Art
Read more in Select News
Teacher Dan Deslaurier
Lower School Art
“I was able to bring all that I have learned about teaching visual art to young children over 20-plus years to help design a space specifically for them. Here, our young artists develop confidence in their skills and learn to appreciate the works of artists from a range of backgrounds and traditions.”
Read more in Select News
282
LOWER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
35%
FINANCIAL AID
39
TOTAL LOWER SCHOOL FULL-TIME FACULTY
Where Next?
Educational Journey
Arts
Holistic Approach
Lower School | Friends Select School | Philadelphia
Alert
Info
Lower School
A transformative expedition through the foundational years of pre-kindergarten through fourth grade.
Each morning, young artists and musicians, mathematicians and scientists, readers and writers, social scientists and historians bound through the doors of Friends Select’s lower school, eager to greet their teachers and friends. Once inside, they engage with teachers who take great care to talk with them, observe them, listen to them, and understand who they are. From that place of feeling truly known, our students are able to engage with challenging ideas and content, stretching themselves in ways important to them while also contributing to the learning of their classmates. Our program draws upon the strengths and passions of children while developing the skills, conceptual understandings, and sensibilities they will need to thrive in today’s world.
Read more
THE LOWER SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
Watch this video for a better sense of the Friends Select community and lower school life.
Lower School Life
Watch Our Video
THE EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY
Friends Select’s lower school is a transformative expedition through the foundational years of pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. At Friends Select, we believe that education is a dynamic process, a series of interconnected steps that foster curiosity, creativity, and compassion. We empower students as agents in their own learning and embrace the guiding values of Quakerism while developing strong skills in our young learners, both academically and social-emotionally.
Learn more about the Lower School Educational Journey
A HOLISTIC APPROACH
The lower school student support team at Friends Select works collaboratively to support the emotional, social, and academic development of the whole child. We believe that social-emotional learning, fostering academic growth and confidence, and building toward developmentally appropriate levels of independence and agency provide a foundation for a child’s success in school and life.
Learn more about our Holistic Approach in Lower School
“We believe that the children we teach should feel that school is not something done to the child but something done by the child. We also work to wrap ourselves around each student, getting to know them and their strengths and then partnering with parents and guardians to help them succeed.”
Dave Younkin
Lower School Director
Our Voices
“I was able to bring all that I have learned about teaching visual art to young children over 20-plus years...”
Teacher Dan Deslaurier
Lower School Art
Read more in Select News
Teacher Dan Deslaurier
Lower School Art
“I was able to bring all that I have learned about teaching visual art to young children over 20-plus years to help design a space specifically for them. Here, our young artists develop confidence in their skills and learn to appreciate the works of artists from a range of backgrounds and traditions.”
Read more in Select News
282
LOWER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
35%
FINANCIAL AID
39
TOTAL LOWER SCHOOL FULL-TIME FACULTY
Where Next?
Educational Journey
Arts
Holistic Approach